![]() ![]() So splices are sometimes alright when the clauses are short and similar, or as a poetic device. often he sat and looked at the branches of a tree silhouetted against the sky, it was like a Japanese print. Famous comma splices include I came, I saw, I conquered which comes courtesy of Caesar (this is also an example of a poetic device called asyndeton), and this one from W Somerset Maugham in Of Human Bondage. The exceptionsĪs is the unofficial theme of this guide, there’s always an exception. If you read it out loud you should be able to hear it. Or: Jude loves to travel – she goes away whenever she can. Or: Jude loves to travel so she goes away whenever she can. Not spliced: Jude loves to travel she goes away whenever she can. Spliced: Jude loves to travel, she goes on holiday whenever she can.Įach clause has a subject and a predicate and forms a complete thought – so it could stand on its own as a sentence. Because commas are used for separating, not connecting. Commas splicesĪ comma splice is where you use a comma to separate two independent clauses, when you should actually be using a semicolon, a dash or a conjunction (like ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘so’). Without the comma before the ‘and’ people might think there’s one sandwich shop called ‘Tas and Konditor’ and another one called ‘Cook’. But a lot of the time it’s a choice between Pret a Manger, Tas, and Konditor and Cook. There are loads of good places for lunch near the office. ![]() If an item in your list has an ‘and’ in it then you’ll need to use an Oxford comma so no one gets confused. Otherwise, don’t worry about it (use it or don't). We say: just use it where it helps you be clearer. It’s also the one that people fight over the most: people are often firmly in one camp or the other. (It’s also called the serial comma, Harvard comma, and series comma.) This is the one in bold here, after ‘Rebecca’ and before ‘and’: George, Jess, Rebecca, and Fran are on the tennis squad. Like in lists, or introducing something as an aside: ‘George Orwell, the writer, once said.’ Oxford comma: Use it when you need it Use commas where you’d pause, if you said it out loud But there are a few grey areas, mainly around the Oxford comma, comma splices and separating adjectives. Some of comma commentary is pretty straightforward. ![]()
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